The CNA Corp (CNAC) anticipates a hiring pickup in 2004, says employment manager Carolyn Williams. "The needs are beginning to change. We are looking for more experienced people with expertise in specific technical areas."
CNAC, formerly called the Center for Naval Analysis, does research and analysis for the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense (DOD) and other government clients. As a federally funded R&D think tank, it studies government agencies and makes recommendations to improve operations and increase efficiency.
CNAC was created during World War II to apply the new science of operations research to wartime problems. Until very recently, its focus was on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps programs.
Last fall, a new public research division was created as part of CNAC. The center's client base is now expanded to include not only the entire DOD, but also civilian government agencies that work in medical, education, environmental and similar areas. "We're looking for experienced people for the new specialty areas," Williams says.
Analyst/researchers are the core of the organization and make up more than half its staff. IT folks are part of the support structure, and more are being hired for the new public research division. Database analysis is a particularly hot area, Williams notes.
Analysts have masters and PhD degrees in engineering, physics, life and biological sciences, math, even economics. They work in areas of systems performance, tactical development, fleet effectiveness and concepts of operations. A typical assignment, for example, might be studying ways to make submarines quieter, faster and more efficient, and the analyst has to make the complex subject short and understandable.
The corporation always needs people with "fresh-cut PhDs," Williams notes. "We'll hire PhDs right out of school, and we're glad to talk to people who have not necessarily been in the workforce long."
Dr Afi Harrington, a PhD in operations research, has been with CNAC more than three years. She had worked in math at the National Security Agency, but she moved to CNAC for more opportunity to apply her degree.
Her team of thirty-plus people is devoted to infrastructure and readiness. They examine military bases and other facilities for vulnerabilities, and look at the ability of military forces to respond quickly to security needs. Her first assignment with CNAC was to model how doctors and nurses should be deployed at Navy hospitals.
"The work environment here is great," Harrington says. "Everybody is very friendly, but we all have our own offices, so when we need solitude we can have it. Many of us have the option to telecommute." In fact, CNAC is rated by Washingtonian magazine as one of the best places to work in DC.
Not all the work is done in DC, however. After a few years at HQ, analysts are expected to go into the field. Teams are based in Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA, and some folks are deployed around the world.
"We recently sent about thirty of our analysts to Iraq," Williams discloses. "They study the ships, the water, the ammunition, whatever the client needs." Some are involved in the rebuilding effort as well.
CNAC recently launched a diversity planning committee as an advisory group to support the organization's missions and goals, says Alice Brown, diversity coordinator. Participants are from all levels of the organization, right up to VP.
Williams notes that corporation president Robert J. Murray is "very committed" to diversity. "He stresses it even more to our managers, the upper levels of the organization," Williams says.
This year, desktop-based diversity training is planned for all staff members, with a variety of workshops also in the works. Brown and Williams are cooperating to attract more diverse candidates at conferences of the NSBE and SHPE, among others.
Especially in demand are diverse PhDs. Overall, minorities make up 20 percent of CNAC employees, and women almost 40 percent.
D/C
www.cna.org
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Headquarters: |
Washington, DC |
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Employees: |
About 650 |
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Business: |
Not-for-profit research and analysis for DOD and other government clients |
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